From left to right: Joan Clark, Executive Director of ACONE; Mark Churchill, Music Director and Conductor of Symphony Pro Musica; Etta Lappen Davis, Clerk, Board of Directors of ACONE and violinist in Symphony Pro Musica. See additional photos in our photo gallery.
Symphony Pro Musica Concert
January 12, 2003
By Joan Clark, Executive Director
On Sunday, January 12th, Symphony Pro Musica presented its Celebration Concert at Westborough High School, Westborough, MA. Many of you read about the event in the last ACONE newsletter and in e-mail updates. Symphony Pro Musica provided ACONE with tickets we could use as a fundraiser.
The comments from the audience were all extremely positive. The orchestra was definitely as great as their website presented and the program was designed to be child friendly and interesting. Mark Churchill, Music Director and Conductor, provided interesting and amusing comments between the selections. His verbal explanations added to the interest for the children.
Within the program, Hillary Ditmars' violin solo was especially interesting for children because Hillary is 12 years old. I had a hard time remembering she was only 12 as I listened to her perform the Finale: Allegro energico from Bruch's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor. She is truly a very talented young lady.
Then we were in the midst of listening to "An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise" when the orchestra was joined by Andrew McIntosh and his bagpipes. He processed down the aisle in full Scottish regalia with many wide-eyed stares from youngsters.
The final selection of the concert was an excerpt from Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". Students from the Westborough Public Schools String program joined the orchestra, again showing the children in the audience how young people can be involved in music.
I want to personally thank ACONE Board Member Etta Lappen Davis for her part in arranging this opportunity. I also want to thank Symphony Pro Musica and its Director, Mark Churchill, for inviting us to be a part of such an enjoyable and enriching event.
To learn more about future concerts by SPM, go to www.symphonypromusica.org.
